Life after “50 Shades of Grey” - Jamie Dornan to play real Irish hero

Jamie Dornan to star in totally different kind of thriller with a heroic role in South African geo-political movie.CK

Having finished up his role as Christian Grey in “Fifty Shades of Grey” County Down actor Jamie Doran is taking on a very different role. Far from the kinky scenes of EL James’ novel Doran will star in “The Siege of Jadotville”, a geo-political action thriller that centers around the siege of 150 UN Irish troops in the Congo in 1961.

Dornan will play Commandant Pat Quinlan, the Irishman who led the UN battalion who held out against 3,000 local troops.

Richie said today in New York, "I'm really excited to be working with Jamie…I thought his performance in ‘The Fall’ was sublime. He is perfectly cast in the lead role as Commandant Quinlan and has been instrumental in bringing this epic story to life."

The movie centers around the 150 troops led by by Commandant Pat Quinlan after the Pro-western leader Moise Tshombe took control of the Katanga region and killed the Congolese leader Patrice Lumumba. What happened next was a scene of extraordinary bravery and saw Quinlan and his troops hold out against a force of 3,000 local troops led by French and Belgian Mercenaries working for the mining companies.

The movie will shoot in spring 2015, in Ireland and South Africa, after Jamie finishes his publicity commitments for “Fifty Shades of Grey.”

Dornan said “I can't wait to get stuck into Jadotville. It's an unbelievable story and Commandant Pat Quinlan is going to be a treat of a character to tackle. I'm a big fan of both Richie Smyth and Alan Moloney and I'm very much looking forward to working with them both."

“The Siege of Jadotville” will be directed by first time feature director and veteran commercials and music video director Richie Smyth. Originally from Dublin, Richie has been working internationally his entire career with talents that include U2, The Verve, and Bon Jovi. Recently he picked up 9 best director international awards for his work on a Child Abuse campaign. Presently he’s filming in New York on a Showtime project.

Alan Moloney, Producer at Parallel Films said “We are delighted that Jamie has come on board.

“Kevin has written a great script and Richie is long overdue his movie debut. This is an action thriller that Jamie is going to shine in”.